Untitled
by hakuchihirolover
Summary: As Wufei struggles with his relationship with Treize Kushrenada, OZ Commander Major Duo Maxwell, ward and protege of General Kushrenada, find himself falling for Pilot 01.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: NEW STORY UP, SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING MY OTHERS, BUT I CAN ONLY WRITE WHEN MY MUSE IS IN THE MOOD, AND SHE HAS MORE CHANGEABLE MOODS THAN LADY UNE.**

**SUMMARY: AS WUFEI STRUGGLES WITH HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH TREIZE KUSHRENADA, OZ COMMANDER MAJOR DUO MAXWELL, WARD AND PROTÉGÉ OF GENERAL KUSHRENADA, FINDS HIMSELF FALLING FOR PILOT 01.**

**PAIRINGS: 1X2 3X4 13X5 6X9 2+6**

**RATING: M FOR YAOI AND DUO'S MOUTH**

**DISCLAIMER: DON'T OWN IT**

Chapter One

'_Some say the world will end in fire,_

_Some say in ice._

_From what I've tasted of desire_

_I hold with those who favour fire._

_But it if had to perish twice,_

_I think I know enough of hate_

_To say that for destruction ice_

_Is also great_

_And would suffice.'_ Robert Frost

Wufei awoke in the semi-twilight of Treize Kushrenada's bedroom. Faint slivers of moonlight peered between the half-closed curtains to cast eerie shadows on the luxurious carpet and to dance patterns on naked flesh.

Treize's bed was comfortable. In fact, the bed was so comfortable that in the half-consciousness that accompanied waking, Wufei was momentarily unsure of where he was. The night was cool, the early death of summer leading to a cool and damp autumn in the Oz base just outside of Paris. Despite the coolness of the night, Wufei awoke to find himself warm and comfortable, held tight in Treize's possessive embrace under the thick blankets.

Wufei reluctantly unwrapped himself from the General's embrace and slipped from the bed. He shivered in the cool evening breeze. He quickly padded around the bedroom searching for his hastily discarded clothes. He then slipped from the bedroom to search for his missing tank top, and was somewhat bemused to find it hanging from the chandelier in Treize's adjoining office.

The Gundam Pilot then returned silently to the bedroom and dressed swiftly, not wanting to wake the sleeping General. If Treize were to awake before Wufei left, then he would ask him not to leave. And Wufei did not know what he would do if the General were to ask this question. He knew it was only a matter of time before their fragile relationship was forced to adapt or die. He could not conceal the relationship from the other three pilots indefinitely and it was only lucky that he had not been found sneaking in and out of countless Oz bases for the liaisons he was unable to resist.

But still, Wufei was unable to stay away from the charismatic older man. Treize had an attraction for Wufei that he was both unable to define and to resist.

Wufei shivered, and it had nothing to do with the autumn chill. He turned back to the bed, lifting his katana from where it lay a few feet from Treize's discarded rapier. The scent of the earlier lovemaking was heady on the air and the rumpled sheets, as well as Treize's sleeping form, made it very hard for Wufei to leave. It always was.

Sometimes Wufei wondered what would happen if he were to stay after one of their trysts. To spend the night in Treize's bed and his arms. To wake in the General's embrace, to spend all that time in the one place where he truly felt safe, despite the fact that he was in an enemy base, in the arms of his most dangerous opponent. But Wufei could not think beyond that, and knew that to even think about it was stretching the boundaries of their tentative relationship.

So instead, he sheathed his katana and went to leave, pausing at the doors to gaze back at the sleeping general and murmur,

"Damn you, Treize. Every time it's harder to leave you. Damn you for doing this to me. And damn me for the fool who loves you."

And with that he left the room, not seeing the General's half-open blue eyes and the tear tracing its way down one sculpted cheek.

Wufei had not taken three steps from Treize's quarters when a voice spoke from the shadows,

"Now what's a boy like you doing in a place like this?"

Wufei whirled on his heel, drawing his katana and scanning the shadows. He could see no-one, yet the voice had definitely originated from the area which he was staring at. He growled,

"Reveal yourself."

The voice laughed,

"Now why would I want to do that. If you can see me, it's easier for you to try and kill me, 05."

Wufei paled,

"Who are you?"

There was a slight pause,

"Let's just say I'm a friend."

Wufei frowned,

"Maybe I don't want a friend."

Another pause,

"Who said I was yours?" 1

Wufei growled,

"Enough games, I grow tired of this foolishness. Show yourself."

Another laugh, then a sigh and a figure stepped from a shadowy alcove that Wufei had been certain was empty. The figure itself was almost as shocking as this blow to Wufei's surveillance skills. At first sight, he would have thought it was a girl, with the long hair, braided neatly to mid-back, and the pixie-like face with its glittering violet eyes.

A closer inspection, however, proved that the figure to be a boy about Wufei's age, dressed all in black, with a crucifix around his neck. Wufei frowned,

"What are you doing here?"

The figure laughed,

"I think the more important question is what you're doing here?"

Wufei scowled, he didn't like this impertinent stranger asking questions to which he did not yet know the answers himself.

"That's unimportant."

A frown twisted the fey face,

"A don't think so. I know what you're doing in an Oz base at the dead of night, 05. But what I want to know is why you're out here and not in there?"

Wufei frowned,

"What do you mean?"

He hated asking this stranger to explain, hated the need for any help as a sign of weakness. And he hated showing weakness to anyone, especially this laughing stranger. Except the stranger was not laughing now and when he spoke, his voice was serious,

"He needs you."

Simple, direct. Three simple words that shook the very foundation of Wufei's world. He didn't need to ask who 'he' was, there was only one he that the stranger could be speaking of.

"He doesn't need me, he doesn't need anyone."

It was a foolish denial and the stranger knew it,

"I didn't take you for a fool, Chang Wufei, don't act like one."

Wufei scowled, he knew that what he had said was foolish, but he didn't need this stranger critiquing his choices.

"I don't need you to tell me how to live my life."

The stranger sighed, gesturing Wufei to do the same, sat down cross-legged in the corridor.

"You do, you both do. But talking to Treize about you is like trying to get blood from a stone. So I thought I'd try to get you to see some sense about the matter."

Wufei frowned but said nothing, wanting to know why this stranger spoke of Treize with such familiarity. The stranger continued talking,

"You need each other. I think you know that at some level, and you know that what you have now can't last. So why are you out here?"

Wufei frowned and stuttered.

"I have to… am needed to… my Gundam… the other pilots…"

The stranger raised a hand to stop his feeble explanations,

"You're Gundam is safe and will remain so. And the other pilots won't miss you until later tomorrow morning. You'd be safe to stay this night."

Wufei shook his head in denial,

"I can't stay here…"

The stranger sighed,

"He would not ask you to. He knows he cannot have that, despite it being what he truly wants. But if you were to stay one night through, then it would do you both a world of good."

Wufei flinched,

"But I…"

The stranger rose and pulled him to his feet,

"Go back now, Chang Wufei, before your foolishness costs you both everything."

And with that, the stranger faded back into the darkness, leaving Wufei standing alone in the corridor. He stood there for a moment, before turning and walking back the few steps he had come from Treize's quarters. He paused slightly before the door, then, knowing that he was making a decision that would change everything, he pushed the door open and slipped inside.

He quickly crossed the drawing room, slash office and entered the bedroom. Once inside the dark room, he undressed, laying his clothes carefully with his katana on a chair. Then he crossed the room to the enormous bed that was a feature of Treize's quarters, no matter where he was.

Wufei slipped under the sheets, curling up close next to Treize, in the spot that was still warm from his earlier occupancy of it. For a moment he lay there, still, until he felt Treize's arms wrap around him, cocooning him in their security. Warm and safe, his heart at ease for the first time in nights, he slept.

Treize Kushrenada awoke to find a warm body snuggled against his chest. Unbound black hair was spread beneath his throat and a deceptively slender leg was hooked around his hip. He glanced down at his lover's face and smiled, Wufei's haughtily aristocratic features were gentler in sleep, so that he looked more like the teenager that he was in body than the warrior he was in spirit. Sunlight streamed in through the partially opened curtains, casting shimmering highlights on Wufei's bronzed skin.

He had stayed. Treize stared down at the young warrior, love warring with amazement as he studied Wufei's peaceful features. Wufei had never stayed. The fiery warrior would always slip from the bed at some time in the night, never staying for dawn's pastel loving of the sky.

As he watched, Wufei awoke, his momentary confusion as to his location showing in his eyes as they flicked around the room, until they met Treize's gaze. For a moment, Wufei hesitated, then he offered his lover a tentative smile. Treize found himself gaping and closed his mouth, saying dumbly,

"You stayed."

Wufei nodded slightly,

"I stayed… you're not angry with me?"

Treize frowned,

"Why would I be angry with you, mon amour?" 2

Wufei looked away,

"You never asked me to stay."

Treize made to answer, then decided that there was a much more efficient, and pleasant, way of calming Wufei's fears. Pulling Wufei close up against him, he lowered his head slightly and caught Wufei's lips and his expelled breath in a deep kiss. He smiled into the kiss as he felt the boy's slender arms twine around his neck and wrapped his own arms around Wufei's waist in response.

When he reluctantly pulled out of the kiss, they were both panting and Wufei's lips were swollen and his eyes dazed and lidded with passion. Treize rolled over so that Wufei was pinned beneath him. Renewing the kiss, he traced his hands down Wufei's slender torso, pausing to trace circles on the young pilot's breastbone and abdomen, enjoying the moans and whimpers he coaxed out of his responsive lover.

Just as things were about to get really interesting, a sharp knock sounded on the door. Treize groaned in frustration and rolled off Wufei, sitting up in the bed, allowing the sheets to fall to his hips. Wufei made an aborted effort to get out of the bed, which stopped when he realised that the door was opening and his clothes and katana were on a chair on the other side of the room.

Cursing, he slipped back under the covers and prayed to the Gods of his ancestors that it wasn't Lady Une about to walk in through the door. Treize, however, looked remarkably unconcerned at the thought of being found naked in bed with an equally naked Gundam Pilot. In fact, the bastard looked positively smug.

Wufei just about managed not to gape when he saw who had walked in through the door. It was the stranger from the previous night. Except he was now dressed in the ornate dress uniform of a full Major of OZ. The stranger rolled his vivid violet eyes at both of them and said,

"I hate to disturb the happy couple, but it's almost 0800, Lady Une is on the warpath, again, and I can't hide the Gundam for much longer without people asking questions. And you know how I feel about lying, Treize."

Treize sighed,

"Is there anything else?"

The stranger nodded,

"Zechs is back, but Noin dragged him off the moment he was out of his suit, we won't see them for a few hours, unless we go looking through broom closets out of perversity."

Treize rolled his eyes,

"And how many have you searched already?"

The stranger smirked,

"52 out of 397."

Treize blinked,

"There are 397 broom closets on this base?"

The stranger cackled slightly,

"Yep, I've got my work cut out for me."

Treize groaned,

"Why do I put up with you?"

Another insane cackle,

"Cos' I'm your ward and too unutterably gorgeous for words."

Treize raised his eyes, as if in supplication of some higher power. It obviously wasn't listening and Treize asked,

"Anything else, Duo?"

The stranger…Duo…nodded and said much more seriously,

"My… project… is going very well and Lady Une wants to talk to you about that project of hers."

Treize sighed,

"Thank you Duo, you should go back to your project."

Duo nodded and turned to Wufei,

"Your Gundam is where you left it, nobody should be anywhere near it, but I concealed it anyway."

With that, Duo cocked Treize a jaunty salute, smirked lasciviously at Wufei and sauntered out of the room, humming under his breath. Wufei stared after him for a moment and then turned to Treize and asked,

"Who was that?"

Treize sighed,

"He's my ward. His name's Major Duo Maxwell. He's from L2 and as far as we're aware, the only survivor of the Maxwell Church Massacre, it's partly because of this that he calls himself Shinigami."

Wufei stared at him for a moment and then got up from the bed and went to get dressed, trying not to flush as he felt Treize's eyes upon him, suddenly very conscious of his nudity. He got dressed quickly and, picking up his katana, he turned back to Treize. Trying not to meet his lover's eyes, he spoke to the floor,

"I…"

Treize stood up from the bed, utterly unself-conscious in his nudity. He crossed to where Wufei was standing and pulled the boy close against him, kissing him until both of their lips were swollen and bruised. Reluctantly he let Wufei go, who staggered slightly as Treize released him from his embrace. The Oz general spoke finally,

"You have to go, I know."

Wufei flinched at the sadness in Treize's voice,

"I want to stay, but it's not that easy."

Treize's voice was resigned when he spoke,

"It never is."

With that last comment dancing through his mind, Wufei slipped from the room, his heart breaking just a little. And Duo Maxwell watched from a window as the two men tore themselves apart just that little bit more.

TBC.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: CHAPTER TWO HERE, NOTHING MORE TO SAY EXCEPT THAT I STILL DON'T OWN ANYTHING**

Chapter Two

Wufei was awoken by a boot colliding with his gut. Well, awoken from being knocked unconscious, that is. Winded, he gasped for breath that didn't come as the steel-toed boot once again found its way to Wufei's abdomen. He retched and attempted to curl in on himself, but the boot found its way to his gut once again and he collapsed.

Abstractedly he recognised the hard concrete underneath him as being probable indication that he was in an Oz cell. That would explain the steel-capped boots occupying his somewhat hazy vision. Turning his vision from the blurry boots, he saw the three other pilots were also in the small cell. Trowa and Quatre were close to each as they always were and Heero sat alone, as he always did.

A second pair of steel-toed boots entered his field of vision, distinguished from the first pair by the fact that they were slightly scuffed. A calloused hand grabbed him by the collar and he found that his movements were lethargic, too lethargic; enough to suggest that he'd been drugged at some point.

He looked into Scuffed-boots sneering face and looked away, the other man was standing just behind him, his hair, Wufei nodded abstractedly, was very greasy. Scuffed-boots sneered at him as Greasy pulled a switchblade from the pocket of his khaki uniform.

He felt rather than saw the vicious blade being pressed against his neck and wondered uselessly where his katana was. Scuffed-boots spoke then, his voice nasal,

"He's pretty for a Gundam Pilot."

Greasy sneered and spoke, his voice twice as greasy as his hair,

"He may be a Gundam Pilot, but I bet he's still a good fuck."

Scuffed-boots snickered,

"You wanna find out?"

Greasy leered in Wufei's face,

"Gonna fuck you, pretty boy."

"That's really not a good idea."

Wufei felt Greasy and Scuffed-boots freeze and heard Quatre's muted gasp behind him. He knew he recognised the voice, but with the drugs in his system, he couldn't work out who it belonged to. The voice continued,

"Now I suggest that you put Pilot 05 down and sign yourself on for Punishment Duty until I say otherwise."

Scuffed-boots dropped him to the ground with a thud, but Greasy complained,

"But sir…"

The voice was much less amiable now, not that it had been to begin with.

"That wasn't a suggestion. And if you're not out of my sight within the next ten seconds, I'll have you both thrown in the neighbouring cell. Now get out of my sight, and thank whatever deity you believe in that I found you, not His Excellency. Now."

Greasy and Scuffed-boots practically ran from the cell. Wufei felt himself being lifted again, but much more carefully and then the blurred face and concerned violet eyes of Major Duo Maxwell filled his vision. Duo spoke softly now,

"Are you okay, Chang?"

Wufei tried to find his voice, but he couldn't and merely settled for shaking his head numbly. He felt his legs wavering and Duo's arm came around him, supporting him gently.

"If they hurt you badly, Treize'll flip."

Wufei managed to find his voice then,

"Don't tell him…"

Duo sighed slightly,

"I'm afraid that's not your choice."

Heero spoke up then, his voice icy,

"What does Khushrenada have to do with this?"

Duo smirked,

"Everything, gorgeous."

Wufei knew that if he were more awake, he would be gaping right now. There was no mistake that Duo was flirting with Heero. Nobody flirted with Heero, except that deranged Peacecraft onna, but that was her idiocy showing through. Wufei would have commented on this, except for the fact that his legs were giving out on him, as was his consciousness.

Happily in the oblivion of unconsciousness, he didn't hear Duo cursing a blue streak that left Quatre flushed scarlet. Nor did he hear Duo yelling for two Oz soldiers to come running. As such, he did not feel himself being lifted and carried from the cell.

Wufei awoke once again in the familiar comfortable luxury of Treize's bed. For a moment he wondered why he was alone in the silken expanse of sheets, then the pain in his head and his gut registered the events of the previous day. He opened his eyes a crack and then groaned as the sunlight penetrated his vision. He heard someone cross the room away from him and within moments the curtains had been drawn, plunging the room into a comfortable darkness.

He tried to sit up in the bed to work out exactly who was in the room with him, but he found that lifting his head was an unbearable effort and he allowed his head to fall back to the satin pillows. Wufei heard the footsteps approaching the bed again and he managed to open his eyes enough to look into Duo's concerned face. The OZ officer helped him sit up and handed him a glass of water which he sipped at absently. When he was satisfied that Wufei was comfortable, he asked,

"How you feeling, Chang?"

Wufei ignored his question and asked one of his own,

"Where are the others?"

Duo smirked,

"Treize is driving back to the base as we speak, and the other pilots are sitting next door, plotting my downfall most likely."

Wufei frowned and ignored what was probably only half spoken in jest.

"Why are you helping us?"

The question could have referred to the Gundam Pilots, but both Duo and Wufei knew that it was not really,

"Because I care about Treize and I want to see him happy, and you can do that in a way no-one else can."

Wufei frowned, still not completely convinced,

"And you don't care that I'm your enemy?"

Duo smiled, a secret smile that suggested he knew something no-one else did, Wufei thought that if he wasn't aching from at least fifteen different places, he would find that smile very annoying.

"You are not my enemy Chang Wufei."

Wufei wanted to speak, to object, to ask who was his enemy is they were not. But Duo must have guessed this and continued speaking before he could frame any of his questions properly,

"As is, your friends out there are probably starting to think of as many different ways to kill me as possible, so I'll let them in to see you before they try to kill me with a drinks coaster."

However, before Duo could open the door, it was flung open from the outside. Wufei caught a brief glimpse of the three other pilots sitting in Treize's office, looking a variety of confused to annoyed. Even as he saw this, he saw Duo come to attention as a furious Treize Khushrenada half-ran into the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Abstractly, Wufei noted that Treize was wearing his full dress uniform, meaning he must have run out of some formal dinner, reception or meeting to come to Wufei's side. Treize stopped just before the bed and turned his Artic glare on Duo,

"How did this happen?"

Duo seemed unaffected by the icy question and answered calmly, concentrating on a point somewhere to the left of Treize's left ear.

"We are not entirely sure yet, sir. They were captured by an unknown party some time last night and I discovered them at 0300 hours this morning while I was conducting a surprise inspection. They had been administered chloroform and I discovered two recruits attempting to rape pilot 05. I placed them on indefinite punishment duty and brought 05 here for medical attention for his six broken ribs. Colonel Merquise and Lieutenant Noin are conducting a further investigation as we speak. There is some suggestion of Romefeller involvement, but the only evidence that we have so far is entirely circumstantial."

Treize glowered darkly,

"I want that evidence, Major."

Duo smirked slightly, then regimented his expression once again,

"Permission to use creative information retrieval techniques, Sir?"

Treize rolled his eyes in resigned amusement,

"Granted. Just don't make such a mess this time."

Duo smirked, wider and showed a madness in his eyes,

"I couldn't help it, I just got lost in the moment."

Then Duo's eyes cleared, or a wall came up inside them. Whichever it was, the mad joy showing in the before was gone, and when he spoke, his voice was more level,

"Sir, might I advise speed as the better part of valour in these circumstances. Or at least the best way to keep your head attached to your body."

Treize arched an elegant eyebrow,

"Why so?"

Duo rolled his eyes,

"Because there are three Gundam Pilots in the other room plotting, if you're lucky, the best way to make you a head shorter."

Treize sighed and swore whole-heartedly in German for almost three solid minutes. Then he turned back to Duo and spoke calmly,

"Is there anything else, Major?"

Duo smirked,

"Your Great Aunt Dotty called, inviting you and those 'two nice young men you work with' to her hundredth birthday party."

Treize seemed greatly disturbed by this and paled rapidly,

"Dear God, tell me you did not say yes."

Duo rolled his eyes again,

"Do you take me for some kind of idiot? Every time that hellion of a woman sees me, she pinches my cheeks so hard that it stings, and she wears more perfume than you'd find in a bordello, not to mention the fact that she's positively caked in powder."

Treize seemed to calm slightly,

"So you said no?"

Duo nodded,

"I politely and sadly declined her kind invitation, as the war keeps us all from these more pleasant occupations."

At Treize's sceptical look, he defended himself,

"I didn't lie to her; I just refrained from mentioning that the more pleasant occupations I was referring to didn't include her torturous parties."

Treize rolled his eyes,

"Never tell a lie, indeed."

Duo smirked slightly,

"There is a difference between lying and avoiding the truth. I didn't say anything that wasn't true, I just happened not to mention some of the less palatable truths."

Treize sighed,

"Escaping on a technicality again, are you?"

Duo smirked wider,

"I prefer to think of it as self-preservation, unless you actually _want_ to go to one of your Great Aunt's torture sessions."

Treize rolled his eyes,

"Funny, Maxwell, very funny."

Duo grinned, but then his eyes caught on the bruising purpling Wufei's cheek and his face grew more serious,

"Do you want me to begin the investigations immediately, sir, or would you like my assistance with our new guests?"

Treize considered this for a moment and then said,

"Colonel Merquise and Lieutenant Noin are competent enough to manage the investigation, even if they do not have your taste for creative information retrieval. No, Major, you will remain here for the moment, and help entertain our new guests."

The madness that had been in the Major's eyes previously returned for a second and Treize reconsidered his comment,

"By entertain, I mean keep out of trouble, and in one piece. Is that understood, Major?"

The insane gleam flickered for a moment, but then Duo's eyes cleared and he pouted slightly,

"You ruin all my fun."

Treize frowned,

"I most certainly do not. However, it would be rude to have your kind of fun with the guests."

Duo nodded and changed the subject,

"The Doc says Chang's not to leave the bed for another couple of days, so you have medical permission to keep him there by any means."

There was a wicked gleam of a different kind in the Major's eyes now, but it seemed safer, less wild. Treize quirked an elegant eyebrow, and asked,

"What does the Doctor know?"

Duo smirked,

"Nothing. I didn't tell him anything, and he knew better than to ask any questions."

Treize nodded,

"Aside from not getting up for another two days, what were the Doctor's other orders?"

Duo smirked and reeled off the answer, with his own little additions,

"Two more days bed rest, but unfortunately he's not allowed to undergo any strenuous physical activity during that time. He's not to be overfed, but he should try to eat as much as possible, as he's showing signs of slight malnutrition. No stress, and plenty of sleep are also recommended."

Treize nodded again and turned to Wufei,

"Bed rest. That means if you try to get out of that bed before the Doctor says you can, I'm chaining you to it."

Wufei scowled and Duo snickered,

"Chains, eh? I'm not sure that I should be listening to this conversation."

Treize frowned at Duo and said,

"No, you shouldn't. So go next door and keep our guests out of trouble, and that's an order Major."

Duo smirked, turned on his heel and sashayed out of the room with a jaunty little wave at the still-fuming Wufei. Treize turned his attention back to Wufei,

"How are you feeling?"

Wufei scowled,

"I am perfectly fine. Now, let me up."

Treize frowned,

"Most certainly not."

Wufei scowled even harder,

"I'm not some weak onna, I'm perfectly capable of getting out of this bed and talking to the others myself."

Treize's expression was resolute,

"Under no circumstances whatsoever. The Doctor said you are to stay in that bed and in that bed you will remain until he says otherwise. However, I will let the others in here, seeing as you cannot go out there. I feel they have been too long near my computers anyway."

And with that comment, Treize left a still scowling Wufei and went to the door, opening it to let in three irascible pilots and a grinning Duo.

TBC.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: CHAPTER THREE HERE. I REALLY LIKE THIS FIC SO AM PROBABLY GOING TO CONCENTRATE ON IT FOR A WHILE. BUT UPDATES WILL STILL BE SPORADIC AS I AM RECEIVING AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF WORK AT THE MOMENT.**

**DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, DON'T SUE ME, AND THERE'S NO POINT AS I AM BROKE.**

Chapter Three

_**To Lucasta, Going to the Wars**_

'_Tell me not (Sweet) I am unkind,_

_That from the Nunnery_

_Of thy chaste breast, and quiet mind,_

_To War and Arms I fly._

_True; a new Mistress now I chase._

_The first Foe in the Field;_

_And with a stronger Faith embrace_

_A Sword, a Horse, a Shield._

_Yet this Inconstancy is such,_

_As you too shall adore;_

_I could not love thee (Dear) so much,_

_Lov'd I not Honour more.' _

_**Richard Lovelace**_

The first person to speak when the three pilots and Duo crossed the threshold into Treize Khushrenada's bedroom was not Duo himself. It was not that Duo had suddenly been shot dead or had his tongue cut out, although these were the most obvious reasons for why he would not be talking. No, either the young Major had nothing to say, unlikely; or he was saving his comments for a time when they would create more uproar, a far more reasonable explanation.

Indeed, the first person to speak was not even the unfailingly polite Quatre Raberba Winner. No, the first person to speak was the infinitely laconic Heero Yuy.

"Chang, what is going on?"

Not that Heero said much. But, every little helps, or whatever. Wufei made to retort angrily to Heero's question, but Treize smoothly interrupted,

"We are still awaiting the results of our enquiry as the circumstances behind your incarceration and the subsequent assault. I can assure you that full and proper investigation is being carried out."

Heero raised an eyebrow,

"Hn. We're leaving. Now."

Treize smiled equably but firmly,

"No, I do not believe you are."

Quatre spoke then, his voice cool but even,

"Are we to consider ourselves your prisoners then, General?"

Treize shook his head,

"Nothing of the sort. The Doctor has ordered Wufei to have five solid days bed rest. I intend to see that he gets it. You may consider yourselves my guests for that time."

Wufei pushed himself up onto the pillows,

"That is unnecessary, I have no need of bed rest."

Treize frowned down at him,

"Don't be ridiculous. You can barely sit up."

Wufei scowled ferociously, but his denial was belied by the beads of sweat forming on his forehead even as he spoke,

"I am no weak onna. I am perfectly fine."

Treize's expression was implacable,

"No. You need bed rest and you will have it. You are going to stay in bed for the five days if I have to chain you there."

Wufei flushed and sagged down onto the pillows reluctantly, but grateful for the comfort of the soft sheets. Duo took that moment to speak,

"Sir, the doc also said that there was to be no strenuous exercise, remember."

Wufei flushed further and the three other Gundam Pilots looked on in confusion as he did so. Treize merely rolled his eyes and spoke to Duo in a mock-tired voice,

"Get out of my sight, Major."

Duo smiled angelically. It might have been convincing on anyone but Duo. As it was, Treize and the pilots could practically see the horns, tail and cloven hoof.

"Getting so, sir."

Duo sketched a lazy salute and made towards the door, when he turned back,

"D'ya want me to go help Zechs and Noin with the investigation?"

Treize considered this for several moments, but finally he shook his head,

"No. I want you to escort our three guests to your quarters and see that they have all they need."

Duo's eyes widened; Treize quickly elaborated,

"They can hardly all stay here, I work out of these rooms."

Treize didn't seem to consider that Wufei was also a Gundam Pilot. Obviously he trusted him more. Before Duo could suggest any other possible location on base for the three other pilots to stay, Treize continued,

"I can't give them quarters on the base without people finding out that they're here and that news getting back to Romefeller. Aside from you, the only people with enough space in their quarters and reason for privacy are Zechs and Lady Une. I can hardly put our guests in with either of them."

Duo considered this and nodded,

"I agree, the blood would be hell to get out of the carpet."

Treize smiled slightly,

"Well, now you understand the risk to the carpeting, I must also order you to curtail your extra-curricular activities during the duration of our guests' stay."

Duo looked mutinous and Treize qualified the orders,

"At least keep your activities out of your quarters and restricted to your investigation."

Continuing to look aggrieved, but obedient, Duo snapped a perfect salute and nodded crisply,

"As you command, your Excellency."

The Major then turned to the pilots, his aggravation clear on his face,

"Looks like we're stuck with each other then. Follow me."

And before the pilots could protest, Duo was practically dragging then from the room. Treize sighed,

"He's going to be insufferable for months. I'm going to have to check everything before I use it. And I mean everything."

Wufei frowned, Treize noticed this and explained,

"He won't sabotage anything important. It's just that he's fifteen and still finds pranks terribly amusing."

Wufei was shocked,

"He's a full Major, at fifteen?"

Treize grimaced,

"Duo has certain skills which are unique and indispensable to us. Thus, we have to put up with his juvenile behaviour and moments of insanity. And he's no younger than you, dragon."

Wufei considered this for a moment, wondering why the comparison unnerved him so much. Then he asked,

"Where does he come from?"

Treize sighed,

"That is not my story to tell you. Hopefully he will tell you himself, as I believe it would be enlightening for you to hear. All that I can tell you is that he is from the Colonies."

Wufei was stunned,

"He's from the Colonies, and he joined OZ?"

Treize nodded,

"All I can say is that he hates the Alliance more than anyone I know. Except maybe one, and the two of them, I think, might have to call it a draw as to who hates the Alliance more."

Wufei frowned,

"Why does he hate the Alliance so much?"

Treize sighed,

"You are not to mention what I am about to tell you to anyone, especially not him or your friends."

Wufei nodded, stunned. Treize continued,

"I trust you had a complete education in the evils of the Alliance?"

The question didn't really require an answer, but Wufei nodded anyway. Treize sighed and continued,

"As best as we are able to tell, Duo was born and spent his early childhood on L2."

Wufei grimaced, L2 was by far the poorest of the Colonies, not a good place for anyone to grow up. Treize nodded and continued with his tale,

"He was, at first, a street orphan and pickpocket, as many children are there. He then had the good fortune to be taken in by a Catholic Mission there, and raised by the Father and Sister there."

Treize paused for a moment,

"I presume you have heard of the Maxwell Church Massacre?"

Wufei nodded, the incident was an infamous example of Alliance brutality. Then he gasped, connecting the story,

"You mean…"

Treize nodded,

"Duo was the only survivor of the Maxwell Church Massacre. He has reason enough to hate the Alliance."

Wufei could only nod dumbly, unable, for that moment to say anything at all. Finally he asked,

"How did he come to be here?"

Treize sighed and shook his head,

"That, little dragon, I cannot tell you. Suffice it to say that he had, when he contacted my father, skills enough to make him highly useful to us, outside of his unfortunate hobbies."

Wufei grimaced,

"You mean the pranks?"

Treize shrugged,

"That too."

Wufei was just about to ask what the unfortunate hobbies were if they weren't a childish predilection for mischief. Treize however, spoke before he could,

"As much as I hate to admit it, there is a pile of extremely tedious paperwork in my office that is reaching dangerous proportions. Moreover, if I don't do some of it now, Lady Une will have my head."

At the mention of Lady Une, Wufei paled and struggled to sit up,

"I…I shouldn't be here…"

Treize frowned and gently pushed Wufei back against the pillows,

"You're under my protection, for as long as you are injured I can guarantee you that at least. Lady Une will accept that, as will anyone else here. But Romefeller will still be after you, so your presence here, and that of your friends, must be known to as few people as possible. Duo, Zechs and Une I trust implicitly, and I have all confidence in Lieutenant Noin's utmost discretion."

Wufei was about to say something more, but Treize pressed a finger to his lips,

"I have to leave you now, little dragon. You get some sleep otherwise I will send Duo to baby-sit you."

And with that terrible threat having been made, Treize left the room. Wufei rolled over and tried to get to sleep, ignoring the ache in his chest that had nothing to do with the beating he had received.

TBC.


End file.
